Waddington wins Emmy for best supporting actress
Host Cedric the Entertainer, LL Cool J, and a bunch of audience members opened the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards with a hip-hop tribute to television.
Cedric introduced the CBS telecast Sunday night by saying it would be anything but subdued, and began a rollicking declaration of his love for TV to the tune of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend.”
“TV, you got what I need, would you say he’s just a friend,” the host sang.
The show looked a lot more like a traditional awards ceremony than last year’s audience-free “Pandemmies,” but was still seriously scaled back, held in a tent in downtown Los Angeles.
Hannah Waddingham, and “Ted Lasso,” won the first Emmy of the night.
Waddingham won best supporting actress in a comedy series Sunday for the Apple TV+ series, which could be in for a big night.
Waddingham screamed with delight when she reached the stage.
“Jason, you’ve changed my life with this,” she said to the show’s star and cocreator Jason Sudeikis.
Waddingham plays the owner of an English soccer team who hires the American title character to run it into the ground on “Ted Lasso.”
She beat her castmate Juno Temple, along with Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant, Hannah Einbinder and Rosie Perez.
Cedric the Entertainer and the show’s producers promised it would be a celebration for all. But may have been much more rewarding, even historic, for some.
That includes Netflix’s drama “The Crown” and Apple TV+ comedy “Ted Lasso.” Each was considered a frontrunner Sunday for top series honors in their respective categories, and their casts received armloads of nominations.
More than the shows on streaming would benefit. Victories in both the best drama and comedy series categories would mark a first for streaming services and reinforce their growing dominance, to the dismay of competitors.
The producers’ ultimate goal was a ceremony that was upbeat and acknowledges how much TV’s importance grew during the pandemic and its lockdowns.
“When we first sat down with Cedric, we all quickly agreed on the idea of celebration,” said Hudlin. “The fact is, television right now is perhaps the best it’s ever been…and boy, have we ever needed it.”